System and method for tracking patent ownership change

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method and system are provided for automatically tracking change in ownership status of patents listed in a database at a patent registry. The method comprises receiving input from a user identifying one or more patents of interest to be tracked and, based on the input received, automatically performing a search of the registry database to identify changes in ownership status for any one or more of the patents of interest. The search results are formatted and transmitted to a user. The automatic search may be conducted on a regular basis thereby notifying as user of any intervening changes in ownership.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/542,545 filed Oct. 3, 2011,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and made apart hereof.

BACKGROUND

The management of a patent portfolio involves multiple stages.Initially, a decision is made as to what inventions are worth theinvestment of filing a patent application. Then, each filed patentapplication goes through prosecution with the patent office. Finally,for each patent that is allowed, maintenance fees must be paid at avariety of intervals to keep the patent in force. At any stage duringits life, a patent application or patent may be assigned by theinventors to an assignee, or be assigned from one assignee to another.The assignee may be an individual or a corporation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a system component diagram, according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a patent management system, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a method of tracking patent ownershipchange, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a depiction of a user interface, according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of machine in the example form of a computersystem within which a set of instructions, for causing the machine toperform any one or more of the methodologies herein discussed, may beexecuted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The life cycle of a patent may include multiple stages. These stagesgenerally include invention, filing a patent application on theinvention, prosecuting the patenting application to allowance orabandonment, determining whether to file any continuing applications,and paying maintenance fees on the allowed patent.

At each stage, one or more parties determine the best course of actionto take with respect to the invention. For example, when determiningwhether or not to file a patent, the inventor may know what products areout in the technology area of the invention, a business manager may knowhow the invention fits in with a company's goals, and a patent attorneymay have researched existing patents or application in the technologyarea of the patent. These parties will ultimately make the decisionwhether it is worth the initial investment of filing an application onthe invention and then determine the next course of action at eachfuture stage.

In some instances, an inventor, business manager or patent attorney maywish to track the patent activities of one or more competitors. Theautomatic provision of up-to-date information relating to change ofownership or assignments occurring in a competitor's patent portfoliomay be particularly helpful to the inventor, business manager or patentattorney in planning strategy or making informed business decisions.

In various embodiments, a patent management system includes tools tohelp the parties involved in the patenting process make decisions ateach stage in the life of a patent. These tools may also be used forgeneral research by parties not immediately involved with the patentingof the invention. Additionally, these tools may be used as standalonetools, in combination with other tools, and in combination with otherpatent management systems. Examples of tools include, but are notlimited to prosecution analytics, reference management, prior artanalytics, docketing management, claim mapping, claim analytics,portfolio analytics, external database (e.g., PAIR) analytics, annuitymanagement, and strategic monitoring. The systems, methods and tools ofthe present invention set forth in this specification are described inrelation to a patent management system and patent matters, but it willbe understood that the present invention could equally be applied toother forms of intellectual property (trademarks, copyright, registereddesigns, and the like). Moreover, the term “patent” is not intended tobe limited to an issued patent, but may include a pending patentapplication or un-filed application or invention disclosure. The term“user” is intended to cover any person interacting with the patentmanagement system. A user may be an inventor, portfolio manager,business manager or patent attorney, for example. The term “change inownership” is intended to convey instances in which a patent may beassigned from one owner to another, and also instances in which apatentee (or applicant for a patent) undergoes a name change.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of computer network system 100 according tovarious embodiments. The computer network system 100 includes patentmanagement system 102 and user terminal 104 communicatively coupled vianetwork 106. In an embodiment, patent management system 102 includes webserver 108, application server 110, and database management server 114which may be used to manage at least operations database 116 and fileserver 118. Patent management system 102 may be implemented as adistributed system, for example one or more elements of the patentmanagement system 102 may be located across a wide-area network (WAN)from other elements of patent management system 102. As another example,a server (e.g., web server 108, file server 118, database managementserver 114) may represent a group of two or more servers, cooperatingwith each other, provided by way of a pooled, distributed, or redundantcomputing model.

Network 106 may include local-area networks (LAN), wide-area networks(WAN), wireless networks (e.g., 802.11 or cellular network), the PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN) network, ad hoc networks, personalarea networks (e.g., Bluetooth) or other combinations or permutations ofnetwork protocols and network types. The network 106 may include asingle local area network (LAN) or wide-area network (WAN), orcombinations of LAN's or WAN' s, such as the Internet. The variousdevices/systems coupled to network 106 may be coupled to network 106 viaone or more wired or wireless connections.

Web server 108 may communicate with file server 118 to publish or servefiles stored on file server 118. Web server 108 may also communicate orinterface with the application server 110 to enable web-basedapplications and presentation of information. For example, applicationserver 110 may consist of scripts, applications, or library files thatprovide primary or auxiliary functionality to web server 108 (e.g.,multimedia, file transfer, or dynamic interface functions). Applicationsmay include code, which when executed by one or more processors, run thetools of patent management system 102. In addition, application server110 may also provide some or the entire interface for web server 108 tocommunicate with one or more of the other servers in patent managementsystem 102 (e.g., database management server 114).

Web server 108, either alone or in conjunction with one or more othercomputers in patent management system 102, may provide a user-interfaceto user terminal 104 for interacting with the tools of patent managementsystem 102 stored in application server 110. The user-interface may beimplemented using a variety of programming languages or programmingmethods, such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language), VBScript (VisualBasic® Scripting Edition), JavaScript™, XML® (Extensible MarkupLanguage), XSLT™ (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations), AJAX(Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), Java™, JFC (Java™ FoundationClasses), and Swing (an Application Programming Interface for Java™)

User terminal 104 may be a personal computer or mobile device. In anembodiment, user terminal 104 includes a client program to interfacewith patent management system 102. The client program may includecommercial software, custom software, open source software, freeware,shareware, or other types of software packages. In an embodiment, theclient program includes a thin client designed to provide query and datamanipulation tools for a user of user terminal 104. The client programmay interact with a server program hosted by, for example, applicationserver 110. Additionally, the client program may interface with databasemanagement server 114.

Operations database 116 may be composed of one or more logical orphysical databases. For example, operations database 116 may be viewedas a system of databases that when viewed as a compilation, represent an“operations database.” Sub-databases in such a configuration may includea matter database a portfolio database, a user database, a mappingdatabase and an analytics database. Operations database 116 may beimplemented as a relational database, a centralized database, adistributed database, an object oriented database, or a flat database invarious embodiments.

In various embodiments, the tools of the patent management system sharea common framework. The framework may have a base organization unit of amatter. In various embodiments, a matter is an issued patent or patentapplication that includes one or more patent claims. In an embodiment, amatter is generally identified by its patent number or publicationnumber. Identification may mean either identification as it relates to auser of the patent management system or within the patent managementsystem. Thus, a user may see a matter listed as its patent number whileinternally a database of the patent management system may identify it bya random number. One or more matters may be associated with prior art orcited references stored in a reference or prior art database.

One or more matters may be grouped together to form a portfolio. Amatter may also be associated with one or more other matters in afamily. A family member may be a priority matter, a continuing (e.g.,continuation, divisional) matter, or foreign counter-part member. Familymembers may be determined according to a legal status database such asINPADOC.

Data stored in a first database may be associated with data in a seconddatabase through the use of common data fields. For example, considerentries in the matter database formatted as [Matter ID, Patent Number]and entries in the portfolio database formatted as [Portfolio ID, MatterID]. In this manner, a portfolio entry in the portfolio database isassociated with a matter in the matter database through the Matter IDdata field. In various embodiments, a matter may be associated with morethan one portfolio by creating multiple entries in the portfoliodatabase, one for each portfolio that the matter is associated with. Inother embodiments, one or more patent reference documents may beassociated with a patent by creating multiple entries in the patentdatabase, for example. The structure of the database and format and datafield titles are for illustration purposes and other structures, names,or formats may be used. Additionally, further associations between datastored in the databases may be created as discussed further herein.

During operation of patent management system 102, data from multipledata sources (internal and external) is imported into or accessed by theoperations database 116. Internal sources may include data from thevarious tools of the patent management system. External sources 120 mayinclude websites or databases associated with foreign and domesticpatent offices, assignment databases, WIPO, and INPADOC. In variousembodiments, the data is scraped and parsed from the websites if it isunavailable through a database. The data may be gathered using API callsto the sources when available. The data may be imported and stored inthe operations database on a scheduled basis, such as daily, weekly,monthly, quarterly, or some other regular or periodic interval.Alternatively, the data may be imported on-demand. The imported data mayrelate to any information pertaining to patents or patent applications,such as serial numbers, title, cited art, inventor or assignee detailsand the like.

After data importation, the data may be standardized into a commonformat. For example, database records from internal or external sourcesmay not be in a compatible format with the operations database. Dataconditioning may include data rearrangement, normalization, filtering(e.g., removing duplicates), sorting, binning, or other operations totransform the data into a common format (e.g., using similar dateformats and name formats).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of patent management system 102, according toan example embodiment. Illustrated are user database 202, matterdatabase 204, portfolio database 206, mapping database 208, analyticsdatabase 210, display module 212, input module 214, mapping module 216,analytics module 218, tracking module 220 and filtering module 222. Invarious embodiments, the data stored in databases 202, 204, 206, 208,and 210 may be in the same or multiple physical locations. For example,portfolio database 206 may be stored in one or more computers associatedwith a portfolio management service. In various embodiments, patentmanagement system 102 mirrors databases stored in other locations. In anembodiment, when a request is made to access data stored in thedatabases, patent management system 102 determines where the data islocated and directs the request to the appropriate location. Similarly,modules 212-222 may be executed across multiple computer systems.

In an example embodiment user database 202 stores data representingusers of patent management system 102. The data may include data fieldsof user credentials including a user ID and password and access rightswith respect to patent management system 102. The user ID may be commonacross the tools of the patent management system. In this manner, accessrights of the user with respect to the tools of the patent managementsystem may follow across the various tools of the patent managementsystem. In an example embodiment, different access rights are granted toa user ID between the various tools.

In various embodiments, each user ID has access rights to one or morematters. Similarly, a user ID may have portfolio level access rights.Access rights may be defined according to at least two parameters: readaccess and write access. Thus, when a user logs into patent managementsystem 102, the user is presented with access only to thematters/portfolios that have been associated with the user ID. More(e.g., additional contact information) or fewer data fields associatedwith a user may be included in a user entry stored in user database 202.

In an embodiment, matter database 204 stores data representing matters.Each matter may be associated with one or more portfolios. In someembodiments, a matter is associated with no portfolios. In variousembodiments, a matter is a foreign or domestic patent or application.Matters may also be inventions that have not yet been filed (e.g., asmay be the case within a docketing system). In an embodiment, a matterentry includes data fields representing a matter ID, patent number,publication number, serial number, docketing number, title (e.g., thename of the patent or application), type of the matter (e.g.,application, issued patent, PCT application), status of the matter(e.g., issued, abandoned, allowed), a link to the patent office wherethe matter was filed, a link to a PDF download of the matter, abstractof the matter, inventors of the matter, current owner of the matter,cited references on the face of the matter, filed date, issue date,docket number, and annuity information (e.g., due date, country, andamount due). In some embodiments, other patent reference documents orprior art in any form may be stored and associated with one or morematters. More or fewer data fields associated with a patent may beincluded in a matter entry stored in matter database 204. In an exampleembodiment, matter database 204 may store a patent matter database,wherein this database includes data about the patent matters. The datamay include, for at least one patent matter, a claim set or statement ofinvention and a priority date for the claim set or statement ofinvention. Matter database 204 may also store a database of prior artdocuments (also known as “references”), wherein the prior art databaseincludes data about the prior art documents. The data may include, forat least one prior art document, a priority date or publication date ofthe document. One or more of the prior art documents may be associatedwith a first patent matter in the patent matter database.

In various embodiments, a matter is associated with one or more othermatters as a family with a family ID. Family members may be prioritydocuments, continuation patents/applications, divisionalpatents/applications, and foreign patent/application counterparts. In anembodiment, family information is determined according to an externalsource such as INPADOC. Patent reference documents and/or other priorart may be manually or automatically stored, cross-cited and associatedwith related family matters, for example.

Portfolio database 206, in an example embodiment, stores datarepresenting portfolios of one or more matters. Data stored in portfoliodatabase 206 may have been previously generated by a tool of patentmanagement system 102. In various embodiments, a portfolio may begenerated by a user using patent management system 102. For example, auser interface may be presented to the user requesting a name for theportfolio and identifiers of matters to be included in the portfolio. Inan embodiment, a portfolio entry in portfolio database 206 includes thedata fields of portfolio ID and portfolio name. Additionally, a datafield for matter ID may also be included in an entry in the portfoliodatabase. Thus, each portfolio may be associated with one or morematters through the use of the matter ID data field. More or fewer datafields associated with a portfolio may be included in a portfolio entryof portfolio database 206.

In an example embodiment, mapping database 208 includes mappings ofscope concepts, technology categories, and keywords to one or morematters. In an embodiment, a scope concept is a textual description ofwhat a patent claim is at least limited to. Thus, if a claim comprisesA, B, and C a scope concept may be A. In various embodiments, a scopeconcept for the claim may be broader than A because the claim will stillbe limited to the broader scope concept. In an embodiment, the mappingdatabase stores mappings between claims and scope concepts. A technologycategory mapping may indicate that a claim is in a certain technologyarea. A keyword mapping may indicate that there is an exact matchbetween the keyword and a subset of the claim language.

In various embodiments, analytics database 210 stores data representingcalculated analytics on data stored within patent management system 102or external data sources. In various embodiments, analytics areorganized according to an individual matter, a portfolio, or family, ordate of an event (such as an assignment recordal, for example). Eventsmay be organized by a date range (for example, all assignments occurringbetween Corporation A and Corporation B in the last 6 months). Thecalculated analytics may be based on information gathered from multiplesources such as databases of patent management system 102 and PAIR.

In various embodiments, information for an individual matter may includestatus (e.g., disclosure received, drafting, filed, completed-waitingexamination, in prosecution, allowed, issued), cited prior art, list andtype of rejections (e.g., 35 U.S.C. §101, 102, 103) number of claimsallowed, office action count, interviews held, IDS statements filed,attorney fees to date, and PTO fees to date. Further metrics for anindividual matter stored in analytics database 210 may include, timewaiting for examiner, total time in examination, time waiting for PTOwhile in examination, and time on appeal. Additional prosecution detailsmay include an upcoming docket date (e.g., due dates for office action,IDS due dates, etc.). A claim prosecution history chart may also bestored in analytics database 210 for each matter. The prosecutionhistory may include a history of claim amendments and arguments made inprosecution.

In various embodiments, portfolio and family analytics information maybe stored in analytics database 210 based on aggregating the metrics foran individual matter. In an embodiment, the analytics of a family maydiffer from those in a portfolio as not all family member matters may bepart of a portfolio. Additionally, the analytics may be stored formultiple time periods such that comparisons may be made between currentmetrics and metrics from a year ago (or other time period).

Aggregated metrics may include a total patents and applications, pendingand waiting for examination, in prosecution with no claims allowed, inprosecution with some claims allowed, appealed, notice of allowancereceived, and issued. These metrics may be compiled for both US andinternational matters in the portfolio. Additional information mayinclude the international portfolio distribution by country. An agedistribution of the portfolio may also be compiled. For example theportfolio may be broken down by less than one year old, 1 to 3 yearsold, 3 to 5 years old, 5 to 10 years old, 10 to 20 years old, and 20 ormore years old. Recent filing and issue activity as well as upcomingFord filing deadlines may be stored in analytics database 210.

In various embodiments, prosecution metrics across a portfolio or familyare determined and stored in analytics database 210. This data mayinclude matters waiting for examination, matters in examination, mattersappealed, and cases allowed but not yet issued. Analytics with respectoffice actions may also be compiled and stored. For example success ofallowance after a first office action response, a second response, andso forth may be stored in analytics database 210. Additional prosecutionanalytics may include allowance rate (e.g., 10%) after a telephoneinterview, allowance after an in-person interview, percentage ofinterviews with response, number and type of rejection, average time inprosecution (e.g., in months), average time to file a response, andaverage time to next office action. Further, the list of recentlyallowed cases, recently appealed cases, stalled cases, and recentlyabandoned cases may also be stored for each portfolio and family inanalytics database 210.

In various embodiments, the results of keyword analysis on one or morematters and/or prior art references may be stored in analytics database210. The keyword analysis may be based on the occurrences of thekeywords in the matter or references to derive a score or keywordoverlap.

In various embodiments, data stored in the database for a group ofmatters in a portfolio or family is analyzed to determine the top (e.g.,ten) most cited patents, the top most cited inventors, top most citedprior art owners (e.g., according to assignment documents or the face ofthe patent), newly (e.g., within the last 60 days) cited prior artowners, and top most cited prior art inventors. This information may bestored in analytics database 210.

In an embodiment, display module 212 is configured to display userinterfaces and information retrieved from one or more databases 202-210.If a user is accessing patent management system 102 remotely (e.g.,through a web browser) display module 212 may be configured to transmitdata representing a user-interface through a network to a user terminalIn various embodiments, display module 212 is configured to generate oneor more charts of data stored in databases 202-210. For example, displaymodule 212 may generate a pie chart of the top 10 inventors within aportfolio.

In various embodiments, input module 214 receives data from multiplesources where it may be further processed by one or more other modulesand stored in one or more of databases 202-210. In various embodiments,input module 214 or the patent management system 102 may comprise asearch engine (not shown) for conducting searches at a patent registry.For example, input module 214 may be configured to utilize one or moreAPIs to data from one or more patent data stores (e.g., public PAIR,private PAIR, INPADOC, foreign patent offices, patent docketing systems,portfolio management systems, etc). The data may include publishedpatent documents, patent applications, office actions or other patentoffice correspondence, prior art references, claim mappings, docketsdates, annuity payment data and patent or patent application assignmentinformation. Specific assignment data may include details pertaining tothe assignor or assignee (e.g. name, address, nationality, place ofincorporation), date of assignment, details of the matter beingassigned, or any other data pertaining to assignments or change inownership that may be recorded at any national or regional patentregistry such as the USPTO, WIPO or EPO, for example.

In various embodiments, input module 214 is configured to receive inputfrom one or more user interface elements. For example patent managementsystem 102 may present multiple user interfaces to a user. These userinterfaces may enable users to input data directly into databases202-210, instruct the patent management system to retrieve data frompatent data stores, and instruct the patent management system to performvarious operations (e.g., analysis) on the data in databases 202-210.

Additionally, input module 214 may be configured to determine theselection of one or more user interface elements by a user and initiatethe action associated with the selected user interface element. Forexample, a user interface element may include a drop-down menu to selecta portfolio. Input module 214 may be configured to receive the selectionof the portfolio by the user. Then, input module 214 may pass theselection to one or more other modules for further processing. Forexample, display module 212 may update the drop-down menu to indicatethe selection of the portfolio. In other example embodiments, a user mayselect an assignee name, or technology field, or date range of potentialinterest (or a combination of these or other aspects of interest), forwhich the user wishes to be informed of recent or ongoing assignment orchange in ownership status. The user may request to be informedregularly (daily, weekly or monthly, for example) of ongoing assignmentsor changes in ownership by making a selection of the appropriateinterface elements.

In various embodiments, input module 214 processes the data that hasbeen inputted and formats it according to the data fields of databases202-210 as discussed above. In various embodiments processing iscompleted using a parsing module (not shown). For example, consider apatent publication that a user has directed to be inputted into one ormore of the databases. The parsing module may use a combination ofautomatic image recognition and text analysis to determine the filingdate, issue date, title, abstract, and claims of the patent. In someembodiments, the parsing module may flag certain pieces of data that hadbeen determined to be potentially inaccurate (e.g., a number could notbe read). A user of patent management system 102 may then examine theflagged data and manually enter the information which is then stored inthe appropriate database.

The resulting data that has been parsed by the parsing module may thenbe entered as an entry in one or more of databases 202-210. This may beaccomplished by, for example, formulating an insert SQL query with theparsed information. In various embodiments the parsing module may parsemultiple pieces of information before generating a database entry. Forexample, input module 214 may receive a docket number for an issuedpatent. The docket number may be combined with the information parsedfrom the issued patent to form an entry in matter database 204.

In various embodiments, mapping module 216 is configured to facilitatemappings of scope concept, technology categories, and keywords to patentclaims of a matter. In an embodiment, mapping signifies association. Forexample, in conjunction with display module 212 and input module 214,mapping module 216 may present a user interface of patent claims storedin matter database 204 and scope concepts stored in mapping database208. Input module 214 may receive a selection of one or more patentclaims and one or more scope concepts and pass them to mapping module216. Mapping module 216 may then formulate an SQL query to associate theone or more patents claims with the one or more scope concepts. Whenexecuted, the SQL query, may update the mapping database 208 with theassociations. In various embodiments, mapping module 216 also allows thecreation of new scope concepts, technology categories, and keywords thatmay be mapped to one or more patent claims. Furthermore, mapping modulemay present user interfaces that allow a user to rank and rate mattersstored in matter database 204.

Mapping module 216 may also allow the generation of claim charts of aplurality of cells. A claim chart may include one or more scopeconcepts, technology categories, and keywords on one axis and claims ofmatters in a portfolio on the other axis. The claim chart may include avariety of levels of granularity of scope concepts. Some claims may bemapped to all of the scope concepts while others may not be mapped toany scope concepts. At the cell intersection between a scope concept (ortechnology category or keyword) and a claim an indication of the mappingmay be presented by changing the format of the cell. For example, thecell may be colored blue when a scope concept is mapped and red when notmapped.

In various embodiments, analytics module 218 is configured to examineand run calculations on the data stored in the databases 202-210 togenerate the analytics previously discussed. For example, analyticsmodule 218 may formulate an SQL query that retrieves the number of timesthat a prior art reference has been cited within a portfolio. This querymay be run for each prior art cited within the portfolio to determine alist of the most cited (e.g., the top ten) prior art references with aportfolio. In an embodiment, the queries are formulated and run asrequested by a user. In an embodiment, once the analytics informationhas been determined, it is stored within analytics database 210. Invarious embodiments, queries are formulated and run on a periodic basis(e.g., nightly) and entries in analytics database 210 may be updated toreflect any changes. In other embodiments, the analytics module 218 mayin response to user input formulate a query to examine how many times agiven patent matter has been assigned or been subject to a change inownership from one party to another. Other queries analyzing patentassignment data may be run as requested by a user.

In various embodiments, the analytics module 218 is configured toreceive input identifying a pool of keywords for a first patent matterin matter database 204 and associated prior art documents in matterdatabase 204. The term keyword is intended to include individualkeywords as well as a number of keywords grouped together making up akey phrase, for example. The module 218 may be further configured toperform a keyword analysis on the first patent matter and associatedprior art documents based on occurrences of the keywords in the firstpatent matter and associated prior art documents. The analytics module218 may be further configured to identify, based on the analysis,keywords occurring uniquely in the first patent matter. In view of theiruniquely occurring nature, these keywords may be regarded as claimelements potentially differentiating the claim set or statement ofinvention over the disclosures contained in the one or more prior artdocuments.

The tracking module 220, according to an example embodiment, maintainsinformation related to a specific patent, group of patents, or concept.For example, the tracking module may store information related to apatent's prosecution and litigation history (such as office actions orclaim amendments). In other example embodiments, the tracking module 220may store information relating to the assignment of patent applicationsor patents from one assignee to another, or from an inventor to employerassignee, for example. Information of this nature may be stored bytracking module 220 for defined sets of applications or patentsregistered in a specified name, and within certain date ranges, forexample. Update alerts (e.g., electronic mail, SMS, or similar) may besent to a user indicating a change in ownership for a patent or patentapplication. In accordance with example embodiments of the invention, apatent ownership change tracking system or tool is provided to transmitor display to a user on a regular basis a list of changes in patentowners (for example assignments to newly formed companies, orassignments to LLC's, or assignments to corporations, or assignmentsbetween existing companies, or assignments of patents or applicationsolder than a certain age). The user may, in some embodiments, select aparticular assignee name, date range or technology field of interest inwhich to receive assignment update alerts.

The present invention is aimed at highlighting new assignments that maybe suspicious, noteworthy or at least of interest to a user. Thefiltering module 222 may be configured accordingly to filter theassignments by type, technology class/subclass or assignee, for example.Assignments that are anticipated may be filtered out such thatassignments of new patent applications in a portfolio belonging toexisting patent holders are not displayed, for example. Other data orfields pertaining to the assigned matter or the assignment itself may befiltered in a similar manner.

In various embodiments, the filtering module 222 is configured to filtera set of matters according to a user preference. For example, a user mayactivate a check box that indicates only pending matters should be shownin a user interface. Filtering module 222 may formulate an assignmentquery consistent with retrieving only pending matters. The results ofthe query (or any query) may then be shared with display module 212where the user interface may be updated. The regular alerts may in otherexample embodiments be pushed to a user terminal 104, an externalwebsite, an intranet site, a PDA, smart phone, or other similar handhelddevice.

In other example embodiments, a patent management system forautomatically tracking change in ownership status of patents listed in adatabase at a patent registry may comprise a hardware-implemented inputmodule configured to receive input from a user identifying one or morepatents of interest to be tracked; a search engine configured to performan automatic search of the patent registry database, based on the inputreceived from the user, and identify changes in ownership status for anyone or more of the patents of interest; a hardware-implementedprocessing module configured to process the data received and format thesearch results; and a display module for transmitting the search resultsto the user.

In other example embodiments, a patent assignment tracking tool maycomprise hardware-implemented modules, with the tool including an inputmodule for receiving input from a user in relation to one or moreassignment criteria relating to at least one patent listed in a patentregistry; a search engine configured to perform a search automaticallyat the patent registry in relation to the at least one patent, based onthe input received from the user; and a display module for formattingthe data and presenting the results to the user. The search engine maybe configured to run the search again at periodic intervals in relationto one or more of the assignment criteria selected by the user, with theperiodic interval being selectable by the user to configure the searchengine accordingly. The tool may further comprise a filtering moduleconfigured to filter the results of the search performed by the searchengine, based on one or more of the assignment criteria received fromthe user.

Some embodiments of the present inventive subject matter include methodsfor electronic tracking of change in patent ownership status in a patentmanagement system 102. One such embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 3. Insome embodiments, a computer-implemented method 300 of automaticallytracking change in ownership status of patents listed in a database at apatent registry may comprise receiving input from a user identifying oneor more patents of interest to be tracked 302. Based on the inputreceived, the method may include automatically performing a search ofthe registry database to identify changes in ownership status for anyone or more of the patents of interest 304. The method may furtherinclude receiving and formatting the search results 306, andtransmitting the search results to the user 308. In various embodiments,the computer-implemented method 300 may include performing the searchand transmitting the search results automatically on a regular basis310, thereby notifying the user of any intervening changes in patentownership status for the patents of interest.

The method may include filtering the search results in accordance withone or more of the fields of enquiry using a hardware-implementedfiltering module. The filtered search results may be formatted fordisplay to the user by a hardware-implemented display module, and infurther example embodiments, may be displayed to a user in a userinterface provided in a handheld or mobile device. In variousembodiments, the search results may be automatically retrieved from thepatent registry by a hardware-implemented input module and stored in ahardware-implemented tracking module.

The method 300 may further comprise hosting a website wherein the userinput is received and the search results are transmitted to a user viathe website. In various embodiments, the method may further includereceiving the user input into a hardware-implemented input module. Themethod 300 may include configuring the input module to receive inputfrom a user selecting one or more fields of enquiry for the patents ofinterest. The one or more fields of enquiry may be selected from a groupincluding: name of assignor; name of assignee; name change in patentholder; type of assignor or assignee; date or date range of assignment;date of incorporation of assignor or assignee; place of incorporation oraddress of assignor or assignee; nationality of assignor or assignee;nature of assignment; age of patent of interest; technology class ofpatent of interest; and periodic review interval. The periodic reviewinterval may be determined by a user to set the time at which an updatesearch is performed again repeatedly to identify any intervening changesin ownership for one or more of the patents of interest.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4 which shows a user interface 400 thatmay be used to facilitate the methods of the present inventive subjectmatter, according to example embodiments. The user interface 400 may bedisplayed by display module 212 described above. The user interface maybe provided in a website, computer monitor, or mobile device. The typeof user elements, names, and layout depicted in FIG. 4 are intended tobe an illustration of an example user interface of patent managementsystem 102. Other types of user elements, names, and layouts may beused.

User interface 400 is illustrated with multiple user interface elements.In an example embodiment, a user interface element is a graphical ortextual element that a user may interact with to cause an application toperform an assigned action for the interface element. Data representinguser interface 400 may be transmitted via network 106 and presented on adisplay of user terminal 104 through the use of a web browser. A user(e.g., manager of a patent portfolio) may interact with the userinterface elements of user interface 400 through the use of an inputdevice (e.g., stylus, cursor, mouse, finger) of the user terminal. In anembodiment, a user selection is based on the coordinates of the inputdevice as it makes contact with the display or where a user “clicks” themouse. The coordinates are compared to the coordinates of the user inputelement to determine the selection. The type of user elements, names,and layout depicted in FIG. 4 are intended to be an illustration of anexample user interface of patent management system 102. Other types ofuser elements, names, and layouts may be used. Some elements may beomitted in various embodiments depending on the nature of managementtool provided. For example, in using the change in ownership trackingtool of the present invention for specific strategic monitoring, onlyelements relating to certain fields of enquiry as described above may bepresented.

In general, the user interface elements may include my matters 402,patent watches 404, and company watches 406. These elements may be usedto select a context/view of the patent management system. For example,my matters 402 lists the patents included within a portfolio of a user,patent watches 404 lists information on patents that the user hasindicated the patent management system is to watch, and company watches406 lists information on companies that the user has indicated thesystem should watch.

For the patent change in ownership, or patent assignment, tracking toolof the present invention, user interface elements may include assignor408, assignee 410, date range 412, type of assignee (corporation, LLC,or other entity, for example) 414, date of incorporation 416, ortechnology class 418. Other user interface elements corresponding to oneor more of the other fields of enquiry of the type described herein maybe provided. Each user interface element may allow input of a free textsearch query, or provide drop down menus and date calendars whereappropriate to allow a user to select one or more criteria relating tothe change in ownership of tracked patents of interest. In exampleembodiments, a user may request to be notified of changes in ownershipor assignments on an ongoing basis (such as daily, weekly or monthlyperiodic intervals) by making an appropriate selection in user element420. The results of searches performed by the tool may be displayed inwindow 422 from which a sub-selection of results may be further filteredusing element 424.

Modules, Components and Logic

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied (1) on a non-transitorymachine-readable medium or (2) in a transmission signal) orhardware-implemented modules. A hardware-implemented module is tangibleunit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured orarranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, one or morecomputer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system)or one or more processors may be configured by software (e.g., anapplication or application portion) as a hardware-implemented modulethat operates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware-implemented module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware-implementedmodule may comprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanentlyconfigured (e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC)) to perform certain operations. A hardware-implementedmodule may also comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., asencompassed within a general-purpose processor or other programmableprocessor) that is temporarily configured by software to perform certainoperations. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement ahardware-implemented module mechanically, in dedicated and permanentlyconfigured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g.,configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware-implemented module” should be understoodto encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarily ortransitorily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certainmanner and/or to perform certain operations described herein.Considering embodiments in which hardware-implemented modules aretemporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of thehardware-implemented modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware-implementedmodules comprise a general-purpose processor configured using software,the general-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware-implemented modules at different times. Software mayaccordingly configure a processor, for example, to constitute aparticular hardware-implemented module at one instance of time and toconstitute a different hardware-implemented module at a differentinstance of time.

Hardware-implemented modules can provide information to, and receiveinformation from, other hardware-implemented modules. Accordingly, thedescribed hardware-implemented modules may be regarded as beingcommunicatively coupled. Where multiple of such hardware-implementedmodules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved throughsignal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) thatconnect the hardware-implemented modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware-implemented modules are configured or instantiated atdifferent times, communications between such hardware-implementedmodules may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrievalof information in memory structures to which the multiplehardware-implemented modules have access. For example, onehardware-implemented module may perform an operation, and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware-implemented module may then,at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process thestored output. Hardware-implemented modules may also initiatecommunications with input or output devices, and can operate on aresource (e.g., a collection of information).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of amethod may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented modules. The performance of certain of theoperations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not onlyresiding within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), with these operations being accessiblevia a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriateinterfaces (e.g., Application Program Interfaces (APIs).)

Electronic Apparatus and System

Example embodiments may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them.Example embodiments may be implemented using a computer program product,e.g., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier,e.g., in a machine-readable medium for execution by, or to control theoperation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor,a computer, or multiple computers.

A computer program can be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, subroutine,or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

In example embodiments, operations may be performed by one or moreprogrammable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions by operating on input data and generating output. Methodoperations can also be performed by, and apparatus of exampleembodiments may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry,e.g., an FPGA or an ASIC.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. Inembodiments deploying a programmable computing system, it will beappreciated that that both hardware and software architectures requireconsideration. Specifically, it will be appreciated that the choice ofwhether to implement certain functionality in permanently configuredhardware (e.g., an ASIC), in temporarily configured hardware (e.g., acombination of software and a programmable processor), or a combinationof permanently and temporarily configured hardware may be a designchoice. Below are set out hardware (e.g., machine) and softwarearchitectures that may be deployed, in various example embodiments.

Example Machine Architecture and Machine-Readable Medium

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of machine in the example form of a computersystem 500 within which instructions, for causing the machine to performany one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, may be executed.In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone deviceor may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in server-client network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. Themachine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box(STB), a PDA, a cellular telephone, a web appliance, a network router,switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions(sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by thatmachine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term“machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines thatindividually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructionsto perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 500 includes a processor 502 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) orboth), a main memory 504 and a static memory 506, which communicate witheach other via a bus 508. The computer system 500 may further include avideo display unit 510 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or acathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 500 also includes analphanumeric input device 512 (e.g., a keyboard), a user interface (UI)navigation device 514 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 516, a signalgeneration device 518 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device520.

Machine-Readable Medium

The disk drive unit 516 includes a machine-readable medium 522 on whichis stored one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g.,software) 524 embodying or utilized by any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 524 mayalso reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory504 and/or within the processor 502 during execution thereof by thecomputer system 500, with the main memory 504 and the processor 502 alsoconstituting machine-readable media.

While the machine-readable medium 522 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include asingle medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributeddatabase, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one ormore instructions or data structures. The term “machine-readable medium”shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present invention, or that is capable of storing,encoding or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with suchinstructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly betaken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, andoptical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable mediainclude non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductormemory devices, e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM),Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

Transmission Medium

The instructions 524 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 526 using a transmission medium. The instructions524 may be transmitted using the network interface device 520 and anyone of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examplesof communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”), a widearea network (“WAN”), the Internet, mobile telephone networks, Plain OldTelephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., WiFi andWiMax networks). The term “transmission medium” shall be taken toinclude any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding orcarrying instructions for execution by the machine, and includes digitalor analog communications signals or other intangible media to facilitatecommunication of such software.

Although an embodiment has been described with reference to specificexample embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications andchanges may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that form a parthereof, show by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specificembodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. Theembodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enablethose skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein.Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. This Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

Abstract

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separate embodiment.

1. A computer-implemented method of automatically tracking change inownership of patents listed in a database at a patent registry, themethod comprising: receiving input from a user identifying one or morepatents of interest to be tracked, the input further including dataassociated with one or more fields of enquiry relating to the one ormore patents of interest, wherein the one or more fields of enquiryincludes at least one of the following: name change in patent holder;type of assignor or assignee; date or date range of assignment; date ofincorporation of assignor or assignee; place of incorporation, oraddress, of assignor or assignee; nationality of assignor or assignee;nature of assignment; nature of patent of interest; and technology classof patent of interest; based on the input received, automaticallyperforming a search of the registry database to allow identification ofchanges in ownership status for any one or more of the patents ofinterest; receiving and formatting the search results; and transmittingthe search results to the user.
 2. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, including performing the search and transmitting the searchresults automatically on a regular basis predetermined by the user andthereby notifying the user of any intervening changes in patentownership status for the patents of interest.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1 or claim 2, the method furthercomprising hosting an interactive website and receiving input from theuser, and presenting the search results to a user, via the website. 4.The computer-implemented method of claim 1 or claim 2, includingdisplaying the search results to a user in a handheld or mobile device.5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including receiving theuser input into a hardware-implemented input module.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 5, including configuring the inputmodule to receive input from a user selecting the one or more fields ofenquiry relating to the change of ownership of the patents of interest.7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the user inputdata further includes the name of an assignor or the name of anassignee.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, includingfiltering the search results in accordance with one or more of thefields of enquiry using a hardware-implemented filtering module.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 8, including formatting thefiltered search results for display to the user using ahardware-implemented display module.
 10. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, including retrieving the search results automatically fromthe patent registry using a hardware-implemented input module.
 11. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, including storing the receivedsearch results in a hardware-implemented tracking module.
 12. A patentmanagement system for automatically tracking change in ownership ofpatents listed in a database at a patent registry, the systemcomprising: a hardware-implemented input module configured to receiveinput from a user identifying one or more patents of interest to betracked: the input further including data associated with one or morefields of enquiry relating to the one or more patents of interest,wherein the one or more fields of enquiry includes at least one of thefollowing: name change in patent holder; type of assignor or assignee;date or date range of assignment; date of incorporation of assignor orassignee; place of incorporation, or address, of assignor or assignee;nationality of assignor or assignee; nature of assignment; age of patentof interest; and technology class of patent of interest: a search engineconfigured to perform an automatic search of the patent registrydatabase, based on the input received from the user, to allowidentification of changes in ownership status for any one or more of thepatents of interest; a hardware-implemented processing module configuredto process the data received and format the search results; and adisplay module for transmitting the search results to the user. 13.(canceled)
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein the display module isconfigured to present user-selectable interface elements in a graphicuser interface, the interface elements allowing data entry by the userand corresponding to the one or more fields of enquiry.
 15. (canceled)16. The system of claim 12, further comprising a filtering module forfiltering the search results, based on the one or more fields ofenquiry.
 17. The system of claim 12, wherein the data input by the userfurther includes the name of an assignor or the name of an assignee. 18.The system of claim 12, wherein the search engine, processing module anddisplay module are respectively configured to perform the automaticsearch, process the search results, and transmit the search results tothe user on a regular basis predetermined by the user, thereby notifyingthe user of any intervening changes in patent ownership status for thepatents of interest.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the inputmodule is configured to receive input from the user defining thepredetermined regular basis.
 20. The system of claim 12, wherein thesystem is web-based and the user input is received from the user, andthe search results are transmitted and displayed to the user, via one ormore web pages hosted on the website.
 21. A patent assignment trackingtool comprising hardware-implemented modules, the tool including: aninput module for receiving input from a user in relation to one or moreassignment criteria relating to at least one patent listed in a patentregistry, the assignment criteria including data associated with one ormore fields of enquiry relating to the at least one patent, wherein theone or more fields of enquiry includes at least one of the following:name change in patent holder; type of assignor or assignee; date or daterange of assignment; date of incorporation of assignor or assignee;place of incorporation, or address, of assignor or assignee; nationalityof assignor or assignee; nature of assignment; age of patent ofinterest; and technology class of patent of interest; a search engineconfigured to perform a search automatically at the patent registry inrelation to the at least one patent, based on the input received fromthe user; and a display module for formatting the data and presentingthe results to the user.
 22. The assignment tracking tool of claim 21,wherein the search engine is configured to run the search again atperiodic intervals in relation to one or more of the assignment criteriaselected by the user, the periodic interval being selectable by the userto configure the search engine accordingly.
 23. The assignment trackingtool of claim 21 or claim 22, further comprising a filtering moduleconfigured to filter the results of the search performed by the searchengine, based on one or more of the assignment criteria received fromthe user.
 24. A patent portfolio management system comprising: anetwork; a patent matter database, accessible on the network, andincluding data about the patent matters, and a server, operativelyconnected to the network, wherein the server includes: a processor, amemory, software operable on the processor to: receive input from a useridentifying one or more patents of interest to be tracked; the inputfurther including data associated with one or more fields of enquiryrelating to one or more patents of interest, wherein the one or morefields of enquiry includes at least one of the following: name change inpatent holder; type of assignor or assignee; date or date range ofassignment; date of incorporation of assignor or assignee; place ofincorporation, or address, of assignor or assignee; nationality ofassignor or assignee; nature of assignment; age of patent of interest;and technology class of patent of interest; based on the input received,automatically perform a search of the registry database to allowidentification of changes in ownership status for [[any]] one or more ofthe patents of interest; receive and format the search results; andtransmit the search results to the user.